The Spoken(n) Shop, Melbourne, Australia

We recently got contacted by a couple of readers from Melbourne (thanks for the support Philip and Eddie) and it prompted me to revisit these shots and the time I spent at one of their towns nicest shops. Now having shamelessly promoted iFixByx, let me say there are certain bike shops that achieve a “special” status. These are the shops that when you travel around the world you make a pilgrimage to go and see. Condor in London, Above Category in Mill Valley, River City in Portland, you tend to hear about their name long before you go. These are the shops that are more than just about selling. They are part museum, community, service, routes, and conversation about everything bikes. Spoke(n) in Melbourne is one of those shops. Located in the St Kilda neighborhood in a beautiful old corner store, the space has been cleaned up to retain most of its original features. They carry a really interesting range of brands, from top-end road frames like Guerciotti and Pinarello, to beautifully coordinated street builds by Schwinn. They have mixed that up with some great bike culture, with little museum cases playing homage to the cycling greats like Eddy Merckx, to selling retro wool jerseys alongside Solo and Capo. Great shop filled with friendly staff who are more than happy to tell you how great the local riding scene is, and how the Beach Road run on Sundays is one of the best rides in the world. That is actually pretty hard to argue with.